Pages

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Cascadia: United Under A Symbol

Article by Nate Sulat

It’s called the Doug Flag because of the Douglas fir on its
front, and it’s become an almost mandatory feature of any Cascadia Cup match.
Fans in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver all fly its blue, white and green
stripes as a symbol of the Pacific Northwest.

It’s a surprising show of unity – or at least shared
identity – in a rivalry that is arguably the fiercest Major League Soccer. It
is also strange that Cascadia Cup supporters co-opted a flag that was
originally, and remains to this day, a symbol of the Cascadian independence
movement, a separatist group that imagines a republic stretching as far as
Northern California to the Alaskan panhandle.

There’s certainly a contradiction. Despite a general
leftward trend in the political landscape of Vancouver, Portland and Seattle,
the Southsiders, as well as the Timbers Army and Emerald City Supporters – who
represent the Timbers and Sounders, respectively – are apolitical
organizations.

On the other hand, the Douglas fir on the flag is described
as a symbol of defiance and resilience, and even beyond its association with
the Republic of Cascadia, the Doug can be seen flying at Occupy Portland
rallies.

The Southsiders, TA and ECS are by no means opposed to
demonstration – all three groups made headlines earlier this season by “Showing
Racism the Red Card,” where fans held up red cards at matches to show their
opposition to racism and homophobia in soccer. But there is a line the
supporters try not to cross.

“We don’t support militarism, but a few years ago, somebody
wanted to have a ‘Timbers Army against the War’ thing,” TA member Abram
Goldman-Armstrong said. “We said ‘Eh, I don’t know if we’ll tackle that
issue.’”

The skittishness towards political demonstration is
unsurprising for organizations whose main focus is soccer. And when it comes to
the Doug flag, politics seem to be almost a moot point: They aren’t relevant in
the context of the Cascadia Cup.

The Doug is an acknowledgement that the Pacific Northwest is
distinct. But the distinction is cultural. There is a sense that people in
Portland, Seattle and Vancouver have similar values that are not shared outside
the region.

“For all the differences that Seattle and Portland have –
and Vancouver, too – we’re generally the same type of people,” said Garrett
Dittfurth, TA member and the Chair of the 107ist’s Communications Commitee. “If
you take away who people support, people would generally get along. When we
were down [in LA last year] for MLS Cup, we were hanging out with supporters
from all over the country. I’m not saying we didn’t get along with people from
Houston, but they carry themselves differently. Same with people from LA… It’s
not bad, it’s just noticeably different.”

There is a tremendous amount of regional pride associated
with these differences. And when it comes to soccer, that pride is only
increased.

"It's an entirely different feel of the fans standing
and cheering and dancing and singing [than at other stadiums],” Walters said of
matches in the Northwest. “Whether it's the Tetris [in Portland], or the Boom
Boom Clap [in Seattle], or some of the smaller chants that we do in Vancouver
that we get half the stadium going, it's a real electric atmosphere. When you
go down to the other cities, every bar is covered in Portland and Seattle
gear.”

Much of the passion associated with the Cascadia Cup stems
from the more than three decades worth of history that the clubs have compiled
against each other. All three have their roots in the old NASL, giving the
rivalry a sense of tradition that is missing throughout much of the rest of the
league.

It’s this shared history, as well as the shared regional
culture, that has led fans to genuinely embrace the rivalry. It’s organic. And
organic movements allow fans to create new traditions – and redefine them.

“I think that supporters always look to find imagery –
whether it’s your city, your region, your state, or a congregation of a region
like Cascadia – to supplement imagery and tifo and flag,” ECS co-president Greg
Mockos said. “It’s a sense that this rivalry’s bringing it to another level,
and this is a symbol of that.”

It’s yet another new layer of meaning to what started out as
a political symbol. The supporters in Cascadia have co-opted the Doug flag for
their own ends, redefining it so that the contradictions that might crop up can
be ignored.

And in the case of the Republic of Cascadia, politics are
even easier to overlook. Most fans know that the chances the Northwest will
become an autonomous reason are essentially nil.

“I definitely would love to see Cascadia become its own
country,” Goldman-Armstrong said. “I don’t know if it’s ever going to become a
political reality,”

“Politically it's a non-starter, as far as I'm concerned,”
Walters, whose day job is political consulting, said. “We do have supporters
[in Vancouver] who like the idea, but I don't think that it's even close to an
even split.”

"Cascadianism is an infection, a viral thought, memeticially engineered by mad scientists with the guidance of Mother Earth to shift humans from consumers to thriving dynamic members of a complex network of communities we call the bioregion of Cascadia" ~ Alexander Baretich

I am a sounder supporter and a support of an independant cascadia. I recognize those waiving the flag and appreciating the flag may not support an independant cascadia. But i think it is a step in the right direction. With time more will come to accept and embrace the idea and when enough do, there will be a choice to be made in DC... let us go peacefully or attack us. I hope they let us go peacefully but in either case we will be independent eventually.

I hope that when the day comes (not if!), Cascadia will embrace Northern California (at least down to Shasta County) as well. I live here, and proudly fly my Doug outside my home, and wholeheartedly support Cascadia.